Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-05-28
CHAPTER XII.
OVER 1T.

On leaving the house Bessie and John took
their way down the long avenue of blue
gums. This avenue was old Silas Crofts
particular pride, for although it had only
been planted for about twenty years, the
trees, which in the divine climate and virgin
soil of the Transvaal grow at the most ex-
traordinary rate, were for the most part very
lofty, and as thick in the stem as English oaks
of $50 years standing
Down this charming avenue John and
Bessie walked, and on reaching its limit turned
to the right and followed httle footpath
winding in and out of the rocks that built up
the plateau on the hillside on which the house
stood Presently this led them through the
orchard, and then came a bare strip of veldt,
a very dangerous spot in a thunderstorm, but
a great safeguard to the house and trees round
it, for the iron stone cropped up here, and
from the house one might generally see flash
after flash striking down on to it and even
running and zigzagging about its surface. To
the left of this were some cultivated lands,
and in front of them the plantation in which
John was anxious to inspect some recently
planted wattles
When he had finished looking at the Young
trees he returned On getting to the border
of the plantation he paused to look at Bessie,
who was some twenty PAGES from him,
perched sideways on the low sod wall, and
framed, as in the full, rich light of the set
ting sun Her hat was off, for the sun had
lost its burning force, and the hand that held
it hung idly by her, while her eyes were
fixed on the horizon flaming with all the
varied glories Of the African sunset. He
gazed at her sweet face and lissome form,
and some lines that he had read years before
fioated idly into his mind:
The little curis about her head
Were all her crown of gold,
Her delicate arms dropped downward
In slender mold
AS white veined leaves of lilies
Curve and fold.
She moved to measure of music
As a swan sails the stream.
He had got as far as this when she turned
and saw him, and be gave up the poetry in
the presence of one who might well have in
spired it.
what are You looking at.n She said with
smile; the sunset"
"No; was looking at you"
"Then you might have been better employed
with the sunset, " she answered. turning her
head quickly. Look at it Did you ever
see such slnsetl We sometimes get them
like that at this time of the year. when the
thunderstOEms are about
She was right. it was glorious The heavy
clouds which a couple of hours before had
been rolling like celestial hearses across the
azure deeps were now aflame with glory
Some Of them glowed like huge castles
~. Ill
of burning coal.
John stood and looked at it, and its living,
glowing beauty seemed to fire his imagina-
ton, as it fired earth and heaven, in such
sort that the torch of love lit upon his heart
like the sunbeams on the mountain tops.
Then from the celestial beauty of the skies he
turned to contemplate the earthly beauty of
the woman who sat there before him, and
found that also fair. Whether it was the
contemplation of the glories of nature-for
there Is always a suspicion of melancholy in
beautiful things-or whatever it was, her
face had touch of sadness on it that he had
never seen before, and which certainly added
to its charm us a shadow adds to the charm
of the light
"What are you thinking of, Bessie9" he
asked.
She looked up, and he saw that her lips
We're quiverng a little "Well, do you
know" she said, Il was, oddly enough,
thinking of my mother. ] can only just re-
member her, woman with a thin, sweet
face remember one evening she was sitting
IN front of house, just as the sun was set
ting ike it is now, and was playing by her,
when suddenly she called me to her and
kissed me, and then pointed to the red clouds
hat We're gathered in the sky, and SAID: i
wonder if You will ever think Of me, dear,
when ! have passed through those golden
gatesF i did not understand what she meant
then, but somehow / have remembered the
words, and though she died SO long ago 10
often think of her." and two large tears
rolled down her face as she spoke.
/ Few men can bear to see asweet and pretty
woman in tears, and this little incident was
too much for John, whose caution and doubts
all went to the winds together, and have not
since been heard Of
Bessie, he said, @dont cry. dear; please,
don'ti i can't bear to see you cry"
She looked up as though to demonstrate at
his words, and then looked down again.
listen, Bessie" he went on, awkwardly
enough, II have got something to say to you.
want to ask you if-if, in short, you will
marry me. Wait bit, don't say anything
yet; you know me pretty well by now. lam
no chicken, dear, and l have knocked about
the world a good deal, and had one or two
love affairs like other people. But, Bessie, |
never met such a sweet woman, or, if you
will let me say it, such a lovely woman as
you, and if you will have me, dear, think
that / shall be the luckiest man in South
Africa and he stopped, not exactly know
ing what else to say, and the time had not
come for action, if indeed it was to come al
all
When she first realized the drift of his talk
I Bessie had flushed up to the eyes and then
the blood had sunk back to her breast and
4 left her as pale as lily. She loved the man
and they were happy words to her, and she
was satisfied with them, though perhaps some
women might have thought that they left 6
good deal to be desired. But Bessie was moi
/ of an exacting nature.
At last she spoke,